


Immersion: Simulation One

by FireandSmoke



Series: Immersion [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, The Philosophers (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Dystopia, F/M, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Social Experiments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3734587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireandSmoke/pseuds/FireandSmoke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Congratulations you have been successfully chosen to take part in Immersion, the first simulation will begin momentarily. Please relax, you will be given information about the first simulation shortly.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Immersion: Simulation One

_“Congratulations you have been successfully chosen to take part in Immersion, the first simulation will begin momentarily. Please relax, you will be given information about the first simulation shortly.”_

A flash of light erupted as the grey walls moved to reveal a wasteland. Debris covered the desert, with abandoned cars left scattered around some of which were still burning from the riots. The sjy was a dark grey, filled with ash that blocked out the sun.

_“What you will see around you is the after map of a nuclear war. To your left you will see a bunker that will hold enough food, water and electricity you will need until the world becomes habitable once more. The only problem is that the bunker is only capable of holding of holding five of you. In your pockets you will find the jobs you have been assigned, please use these to determine who among you deserve refuge. The ones who were not chosen must take their chances with the wasteland. Once you have made you decision there is no turning back, chose wisely.”_

Instantly everyone searched their pockets for the piece of folded paper which had their job description. Each one of them turned to each other trying to gage their reaction, some look delighted at their apparent profession while others just looked confused. None of them were willing to offer their new profession out of fear that will be what stops them from entering the bunker.

One man stood forward after a sigh and said, “This isn’t going to work if you’re going to pussies about this. I’m a fire fighter. You,” he added pointed a young skittish man, “what’s your job?”

“Erm, I’m a film producer. That’s pretty top, I’ve always liked films.”

After that people seemed more open about their jobs, listing them one after another.

“Cleric.”

“Farmer.”

“Fisherman.”

“Teacher.”

“Baker.”

“Physiotherapist.”

“Nurse.”

Some of the tension between the group dissipated after the announcement of the jobs, which was then quickly replaced by fear. The only information they had about each other was revealed they all knew the elimination process was about to start. Worried glances were passed around, all too hesitant to make the situation they were placed in real.

The man who spoke first took the lead on this again. “Right, well since I’m a fireman I have to stay. I’m strong, good in a crisis and have no problem handling danger head on. You guys will need me, unlike film buddy over there.”

The younger man squeaked in defence, “oi! Film encapsulates culture and provides entertainment, even in a stupid wasteland people need entertainment.”

“Hey and how are you going to make films in a place like this?” the other snapped back, effectively stopping the younger from defending himself further. “Right so he’s out agreed?” There were murmurs of agreement making the younger man feel that more dejected.

One of the older men spoke up, “obviously those who have skills in producing food should be in the bunker, so I think the fisherman, farmer and baker should be allowed in.” The farmer and the fisherman both looked up in surprise over the fact he decided to argue their case and not his own.

The farmer’s look of surprise quickly turned to mistrust, “what about yourself huh?”

The teacher just shrugged and chucked softly, “I think education isn’t at the forefront right now. In the bunker will just be a waiting game until the earth is liveable again, after that it’s all about survival. A teacher can’t really offer much towards that, so I’m voting myself out.” It came out so natural that the others just nodded unsure of what to really say. The man walked over to the film producer and placed a hand on his shoulder as a sign of comradery, “I doubt it’s going to be that bad out here.”

 The only woman in the simulation rolled her eyes and said confidently, “is there any question about whether or not I’m in the bunker? When it comes to repopulating the earth I’m your only chance it seems.”

The fireman laughed and nodded, “so we’re up to what? Five? Guess that’s it then, good luck out there guys!”

“What? Who is the fifth, you?” The teacher asked shocked.

“Well yes, I made an excellent case for myself.”

“Hold on, I’m a nurse. I’m so much more useful than a fireman is.”

There were murmurs of agreement and the red headed woman laughed as she made her way over to the bunker. “Good luck fireman, it’s a good thing you’re not scared of danger isn’t it?”

_“The bunker is now open.”_

Those who were chosen to enter the bunker said their goodbyes and quickly ran to see what it would be like inside. The second the doors of the bunker was sealed once more a loud explosion sounded from one of the abandoned cars. The group of four glanced at each other briefly before quickly running in the opposite direction. Explosions followed them, dust obscuring their visions the worst the explosions got. It quickly became clear that survival out in the wasteland would be slim if survivable at all.

Meanwhile, those chosen to remain inside the bunker began to explore, the sound of explosions blocked by the strong doors. Inside the main room was a softly light lounge, the sofas curled around each other creating almost a bed in the centre. Off to the right was the kitchen which had the basic essentials for cooking. Behind the lounge lay the generator which had already began to count down from three months, beside it was the bedroom. The lay out was simply to conserve space, the beds were nothing more than bunks which mattresses were hard like bricks, beside that room was a bathroom. While it wasn’t luxurious by any means it was more than liveable for the next three months. 

The first night inside the bunker was a joyful one, one spent learning about each other and their dreams. It didn’t take long before the alcohol was found and passed around, everyone getting merrily drunk on the sofas that were more comfortable than they appeared. That was when they learnt that the fisherman, whose name they learnt as Ray, didn’t drink which caused a debate with the oldest of the group, Joel the baker trying to convince the youngest that it was better than it appeared.

If only this could be said for those unfortunate to be outside of the bunker. The explosions followed them everywhere they went, effectively blocking off any directions apart from ahead.  It felt like the walls were closing in on them and the threat of death was ever near. A sign was steadily coming into view which read: ‘now leaving zone 4’.

The group managed to pass the sign and the explosions stopped suddenly, they steadily moved further until their feet collapsed underneath them. They caught their breath while they looked around the area. The area was baron aside from one house not too far away.

“What the fuck was that?!” the fireman exclaimed once he caught his breath.

“It is the end of the world after all,” the teacher replied with a smirk barely hidden.

“Well I don’t appreciate, I’m surprised big fella could even keep up,” he teased, kicking the heel of the ginger cleric.

 The man simply flipped the other off before addressing the youngest member of the group, “are you okay?” The kid was clearly shaken up, his eyes constantly flicking between each of the men and the area were they have just come from. His skin was paler than it should be and it was clear he was shaking no matter how hard he was trying to hide it.

“Y-Yeah, just peachy… What do we do now?” he asked taking a while to steady his voice.

Neither of them spoke for a while before the teacher spotted the house, “looks like the best bet is the house. If nothing else it’s shelter.”

On the short walk over there the forced together group made an effort of introducing themselves. They learnt that the filmmaker, Gavin, always used to watch end of the world films but thought actually being in them would be a little more glamorous. The firefighter, Geoff, didn’t take long to present himself as a cynic over the whole reason why they were placed here in the first place. The two more level headed of the group, the teacher Ryan and the cleric Jack, focused on trying to find the best course of action now they were truly left without any help.

Inside the house there wasn’t much as was expected. A few blankets laid tossed over a broken sofa and debris of whatever explosion caused the end of the world decorated the floor. The walls had holes in them letting in a dusty draft which helped to make their new found home all the more depressing.

“Why don’t I go and see if there is any food left in here, yeah?” Jack said lightly, trying to keep the spirits up.

While he busied himself in the remains of the kitchen, the other three investigated the rest of the house the best they could. There were a few things left nearby that seemed still intact, a copy of Lord of the Flies, a radio and a pistol with one round still inside. The gun cause Gavin to pale further, “can we agree that none of us actually touch this thing please?” the murmur of agreements helped to ease the Brit’s mind even if just slightly.

Throughout the small meal that Jack was able to make the group get casting glances at the radio. If it worked it would help to explain what really happened here, which would either help the group or confirm their feat that now they were merely waiting for death to happen.

“For fuck sake, just try the damn thing already,” Geoff ordered.

After a quick glance around the group to check that they were all in agreement Ryan picked up the radio and started to fiddle with it. At first all that could be heard was static, if the radio didn’t pick up anything then it meant they would be left without any guidance. It took a while but finally the radio picked up one station.

“It actually works,” Jack mumbled, not able to help the surge of hope he felt.

_“Iteration: 17765121. Welcome to ‘The Know’, I’m Meg Turney, and I’m Ashley Jenkins. One of our greatest fears have been brought to life, in the next few days the world we know will cease to exist. The threat of a nuclear explosion has become a reality, for those of you listen we would advise you to grab all the possessions you have and try to find a bunker. Yes we suggest trying to wait it out with your loved ones, no one knows what life will be like after the explosion hits but we can be certain of is going outside is a bad idea. So from all of us here at ‘The Know’ we wish you the best of luck and it’s been an honour spending each day with all of you. Good luck out there and try to be safe!”_

Ryan cuts off the radio and sighs, it was just as they all assumed this was it. It was either be safe in the bunker or perish outside.

“You don’t think that there are others out there do you?” Gavin asked hopefully, “there’s still somewhere broadcasting so it can’t be all over can it?”

“Gavin, the number at the beginning should how many times this message has been playing on loop, if there was someone out there the chances are they would have found the station. I hate to say this, but…. I don’t think there’s anything for us to do.”

“So we’re just meant to wait for death? No!” The youngest shot up and began pacing around. “We keep on moving then, don’t we? Try to gather anyone remaining outside. We do something! Anything!”

“It’s not like we really die is it?” Jack voiced, causing them all to look at him curiously. “Don’t you remember? This is merely a simulation, they want to see what we would do in this situation. Now that we know there’s nothing to be done what do we do? How do we do it?”

“Do what?” Gavin asked, completely confused at this point.

“Die? How do you do it? Force yourself to survive for as long as you can?” He continued, shaking his head at the idea. “To me that sounds like torture, hang on to the idea of hope when you know there isn’t any you would drive yourself insane.”

Geoff agreed with him by a hum before picking up the pistol again and pointed it at Jack, causing the Brit to squeak and take shelter behind Ryan. “So what about if I shot you? There’s only one bullet so only one of us can go like this,” he replied calmly, looking over the gun once more. “Unless…” he said slowly.

“Unless what?” Ryan replied, crossing his arms over his chest while trying to cover Gavin the best he could so he was away from the gun.

“Well, we could always try and force our way into the bunker, force them to let us in.”

“There’s not enough food, it wouldn’t work.” Jack replied, never once taking his eyes off the gun.

“Then we all die together, no one’s life is valued more important than someone else’s.”

At this Ryan stepped forward and forced the gun out of Geoff’s hand, “no one does that. Plus the chances of surviving the explosions again are practically none.”

Geoff merely shrugged before walking back to the sofa, “merely a suggestion.” He then turned his attention to the shaking lad, “I wasn’t really going to shoot him,” he reassured him softly, “I don’t think I could stomach that.”

“Look, let’s just rest on it. When we wake up they might have changed something,” Jack suggested and passed everyone a blanket. For now, it seemed like the best solution they could think off.

When the morning came, neither of them could make a decision on the past course of action preferring instead to stay together as a group. None of them would voice it, but in a situation like this they all needed someone to lean on and take part of the pressure and despair off their shoulders. It seemed to work, for a while at least.

In the bunker the group quickly fell into a routine, each taking a different day to cook and the other to clean.  It help to make any petty arguments to stay buried and gave everyone something to do, rather than just wait for the bunker doors to open.

One afternoon while they were all stretched out on the couch mindless listening to Joel rant on about how the price of gold would now be worthless, as well as the concept of money is nonexistence, while secretly watching Adam miming hanging himself. Ray cut him off to ask, “oh does anyone know how long we’ve been here?”

“A couple of weeks now I think,” Lindsay replied, choosing to ignore the pointed look Joel gave them before he sighed and rolled over so his head was resting in Adam’s lap, a position he took to very quickly.

“So the date would be?” Ray asked again, trying to remember when he lost track of the days passing him by.

“Hold on,” she replied and wandered over to the panel by the door which read the date. “The fifteenth!”

“Shit, really?” he burst out laughing causing everyone to look at him confused, “oh just that it’s my birthday today. Completely lost track of days.”

“Birthday?” Michael asked, suddenly sitting up and eagerly awake. “You know what this means, party!”

Cheers erupted and from the group and Joel shot up and grabbed Adam’s wrist. “I call dibs on making the cake, we have supplies for that right?”

“Seriously? I doubt we should be making a cake,” Adam responding considerably less enthusiastically.

“Oh how hard could it really be?”

Twenty minutes later, while Michael and Lindsay shooed Ray out of the living room so they could decorate, Ray saw that a simple cake could end up destroying the whole kitchen. All three of them were completely covered in flour, eggs smashed on the floor and milk spilled over the counter proved that a cake could be more problematic than originally thought.

“I don’t need a cake,” Ray offered, wincing at Joel forcibly hitting the batter, making more of a mess than before.

“Shut up!” He responded barely looking up from where the bowl was precariously placed on the edge of the table. “It may not be the prettiest cake in the world, but it will taste amazing even if it kills me.”

“Or everyone else,” Adam added, laughing as Joel hit the mixture covered spoon against his chest.

While it wasn’t the first birthday Ray has had, it was definitely one the weirdest but enjoyable. The decorations Lindsay and Michael had put up where little badly shaped cut outs of himself, paper streamers and chains. The cake turned out okay if only a little burnt in places.

A month passed easily within the bunker, but for those outside it seemed like it had been a year. Food was coming increasingly harder to come by, they had travelled further and managed to find a few buildings that had survived the war but there was only so much tinned fruit a person could take.

One evening they were situated in their usual places, Jack in the far corner, Ryan by the door and Geoff and Gavin on the sofa. The pair were cuddled together with Gavin resting his head on Geoff’s shoulder. The two had founded an unlikely bond which Ryan looked upon with a bittersweet smile each night. They had managed to find each other yet they all knew it wouldn’t last, that it couldn’t last this out.

Once Gavin was sure the others were asleep he turned so he could look at Geoff more clearly. “You awake?” he asked softly.

“Hmm? Yeah, what’s wrong kid?” came the reply, the older man’s slowly focusing on the person talking.

“I’m scared Geoff,” he said meekly, “it’s stupid, but I’m scared about dying alone. I’m scared that dying here will mean something that I’ve failed without really achieving anything…”

The elder sighed and softly brushed a hand through the mess the other called stylish dishevelled, “it’s not stupid. I’m scared too, but it’ll be alright do you know why?” Geoff waited until he saw the other shake his head softly, “it’ll be alright because I’ve got you. I’m not going to let you die alone Gav, you’re stuck with me until the end of this.”

The words caused the lad’s eyes to light up and the gent’s heart to swell, and the soft brush of lips helped the pair keep their sanity for a little bit longer.

When the morning rose it was obvious that something was wrong.

“Where’s Jack?” Gavin asked, worry colouring his words.

On the table they made out of leftover boxes sat a note which read:

_“I’m sorry guys, but I couldn’t handle the constant waiting anymore. It got too much for me to bare anymore. I hope you’re all stronger than I am._

_Good luck,_

_Jack”_

A sombre mood fell over the remaining three survivors which became difficult to shake off.

Time became more and more irrelevant within the bunker, the lack of natural light made them unaware of the passing of days and checking the generator or the panel gradually came to a stop. While things should be peaceful away from the threat of danger, an underlining tension has been filling the bunker as Joel and Michael have both being trying to make themselves the leader of their little group. It had been funny at first to watch them both try and puff out their chest at each other, or standing as tall as they could when talking to each other.

It came to a head when Joel was in one of his asshole moods as he cast a lingering gaze over Lindsay to aggravate Michael further. “So have we really talked about reproduction giving that the population as died out?” he asked with a slow growing smirk when he realised he had Michael’s full attention. “I mean obviously everything is going get a little incestuous giving there is only one women, but doesn’t mean we can’t all have a go.”

“Excuse me?” Lindsay asked, laughing for a way to try and break the tension.

“Well, there’s four guys and one woman. It makes sense to stretch the genepool out a little bit,” he replied casual, ignoring the pointed glare sent to him by both Michael and Adam.

“You’re in for it now, buddy,” Ray muttered underneath his breath while he waited for the inevitable outburst from Michael.

“I’m not some, some toy to be passed around by you when you pick and choose. My body, my rules mister!” the redhead snapped, moving to leave until Michael stomped over to where the elder sat.

“You touch her and I will end you, old man. Hands off my girl,” he warned. “Plus you’ve got your own little toy to use,” he added with a smirk towards Adam.

Joel started flush red while Adam looked pointedly away. “That’s what I thought,” Michael said smugly as he made his way over to Lindsay.

“Your girl?” she questioned unimpressed.

“Well, I, I just meant…” their conversation drifted out of hearing range as they left the kitchen.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before burst out laughing, effectively easing the remaining embarrassment. “You just got your arse handed to man, and not for the first time.”

 It didn’t long after Jack went before another one followed. At start they all kept their eyes on each other trying their best to ease each other’s spirits, but you can only delay the inevitable for so long.

Early morning Ryan excused himself to go to the toilet and moments later a gunshot sounded. The remaining to physically flinched at the sharp noise breaking the silence. Tears welled in their eyes and if they held each other a little bit tighter that night neither of them mentioned it.

“I could totally take Adam in a fight!” Michael declared, beer dangling loosely between this fingertips.

Ray burst out laughing at his drunken fight, “I bet you my last packet of oreos that you fail!”

“You’re on! Anyone else want in on this action?” Michael called out to the room, beer splashing from the bottle at the force of his turn.

“I bet my beer you nearly beat him” Lindsay offered not moving her head from Ray’s shoulder.

“I bet my milk duds you won’t last five minutes!” Joel laughed while forcing Adam to his feet.

The stared at each other for a few seconds, trying to work out how the best way to go about this would be before full of charging at each other. Their reaction times were significantly lower after the amount they had been drinking but Adam had managed to trip Michael on to his back, while the smaller of the two threw fairly decent punches to the other’s chest. After a couple minutes of play fighting, Adam had scooped the other into a headlock that was proving to increasingly difficult to escape from.

“You give up yet?” Adam asked laughing not resisting the urge to ruffle Michael’s hair.

“What? No? How long has it been?” he asked, looking over to Ray who glanced at his watch.

 “Nearly five minutes.”

“Then hell no, at least not for another minute. I want those Milk Duds Joel!”

Michael managed to a get a decent kick to the younger’s ankle which help dislodge the hold a bit but not enough to really get out without strangling himself in the process.

“Seven minutes!” Ray called out, laughing as the smug look dropped from Joel’s face.

“Okay, okay I give up. Hand over the chocolate old man!”

The isolation finally took its toll and the remaining couple, the fight had died and so did the light behind their eyes. The two were tired trying to fight off the inevitable, while they were together the isolation was hard to ignore. It was brutal being the only two left alive, the sense of civilisation they had was the message before the apocalypse which only helped to further cement the fact they were truly alone.

The pair stood on the entrance to zone 4 staring out into the wasteland, the bunker nowhere in sight.

“You sure, kid?” Geoff asked softly, Gavin merely nodded and took the other’s hand giving it a light squeeze.

Hand in hand the two walked into the zone.

Harsh beeping from the generator woke everyone up, groggily they arose from their beds and wandered into the living room. A soft click came from the doors as they slid open and were presented with fresh air for the first time in three months.

_Simulation one successfully complete, thank you for your cooperation._

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions about this feel free to leave them in the comments or message me at my tumblr account: eat-ship-cry.tumblr.com Hope you enjoyed this :)


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